Canneries

The Bussell Cannery
was established in 1907, and the Washington Berry Growers Cannery
opened in 1920. The H. A. Baker Inc. Cannery is now
the Old Cannery Furniture Warehouse, one of the Northwest’s largest
furniture retailers and also a purveyor of excellent fudge.

Whole fruit was packed into cans. In the early years at the canneries,
automation was scant. The arrival of conveyor belts and mechanical
apple peelers were occasions for rejoicing. Madge was pretty happy
when her ability with figures led to a promotion from the canning line
to the business office. It was 1943, the midpoint of World War II,
and job wages were frozen again.

Mary Elizabeth
remembers that when the train whistle blew, it was time to go to
work. Produce was at the station, waiting to be moved
to the canneries for packing and shipping. In fact, it’s common
wisdom that Sumner residences were built close in to the train stations
partly in order to monitor the situation.